Trust and School Governance

Tayrina has served in Chelmsford Diocesan Education Trust CDET for many years, developing a broad understanding of the issues facing schools. She is a Member on numerous diverse Academy Trust boards and also serves on a Local Governance Board.  She is an experienced HR professional with a background in Learning and Development and specialises in psychometrics, strategy and culture change.

Tayrina was educated at the University of Kent, studying Classical Civilization and English Literature and is an ordained minister in the Church of England. 

Alan recently retired from the Bank of England after 40 years' service.  He was a Senior Advisor in the Bank's Financial Stability Directorate with responsibility for developing banking regulations in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008.  Since retiring, Alan has become a technical advisor to the IMF and World Bank providing advice on banking supervision across a number of jurisdictions.  He has been Chair of Governors of a large primary school in Tower Hamlets since 1998 and is a Foundation Governor of KEGS. Alan set up and runs a small charity on the East Coast of Sri Lanka and is also Treasurer of the Old Chelmsfordians Association, captaining their friendly 5th XI cricket team. 

We currently have a vacancy for a CDET appointed member of Canonium Learning Trust

Andy is a retired Chief Constable who has led two different police forces. His responsibility was to provide leadership to organisations with multi-million pound budgets. As Assistant Commissioner, he was in charge of Royalty protection and Counter-Terrorism and was directly accountable to the Home Secretary and Prime Minister. Since his retirement, he has advised company CEOs on strategic planning and security-related matters. In the academic arena, he was a member of Anglia Ruskin University's board for ten years and is now a Visiting Fellow. He was elected Chair in January 2010 and has been privileged to retain that position since that date. He has been living in the area since 1990. He was awarded the CBE and QPM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2006 and 2004, respectively.

James is the headteacher of Honywood School, a local Secondary Academy. He joined Honywood in 2018 after leading a local cross-phase teaching school and Challenge Partners school improvement hub, working with schools across Essex. James holds a degree in Music and an MA in Electronic Media and, prior to teaching, worked as a freelance sound, graphic, and web designer. James later retrained as a computing teacher, a subject he continues to teach as Headteacher. James has a deep interest in technology and, in 2014, was one of 50 people globally selected to work with Google and awarded the status Google Certified Innovator. He served on the ethics committee at UCL between 2017 and 2020 and is a founding fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and fellow of the RSA. James is also a Trustee of a local primary school Trust and is Vice-Chair of governors at his children’s primary school. He has an MBA in Educational leadership and is a senior partner for Challenge Partners. 

Andy is a retired Chief Constable who has led two different police forces. His responsibility was to provide leadership to organisations with multi-million pound budgets. As Assistant Commissioner, he was in charge of Royalty protection and Counter-Terrorism and was directly accountable to the Home Secretary and Prime Minister. Since his retirement, he has advised company CEOs on strategic planning and security-related matters. In the academic arena, he was a member of Anglia Ruskin University's board for ten years and is now a Visiting Fellow. He was elected Chair in January 2010 and has been privileged to retain that position since that date. He has been living in the area since 1990. He was awarded the CBE and QPM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2006 and 2004, respectively.

Hazel's initial career was as a secondary school teacher and senior leader. She then moved into leadership training and facilitation across a range of programs, including working with the National Remodelling Team and National College for School Leadership. For the last ten years, she has been writing materials, facilitating training, mentoring, and assessing for national school leadership programs. She is an Institute for Leadership and Management trained coach. Now largely retired. Hazel was a Member of the St. Nicholas, D’Arcy governing board before the school became part of the Canonium Trust and is now a member of the Teaching and Learning Council for Tolleshunt D’Arcy St. Nicholas, as well as a director for the Trust. 

Having studied art history at university and completed a master’s degree in museum and gallery education, Emma worked for Arts Council England, firstly as a project assistant and then Programme Manager for their flagship Creative Partnerships programme, managing projects and allocating funding to schools across Essex and Suffolk. Following the birth of her first child, she decided to go freelance to have more flexibility in her work schedule and was lucky enough to build a portfolio of projects working with various arts organisations and education programs across the eastern region. Meanwhile, Emma and her husband decided to take his family farm back in hand, which had been previously contracted out due to the lack of interest in farming it. As their farming business has grown, Emma has taken on less freelance work and now works almost exclusively for their farming business with her husband. They are now in their 11th year of running the farm together. Emma's first son was joined by two more, and now all three of their boys are at Stisted, where Emma has been a parent governor since 2016. She became Chair in 2018 and during that time led the governing body on its journey from being a single academy trust into Canonium this autumn. Emma has a particular interest in how the key skills that underpin creativity can support curriculum development. She believes that by focusing on a creative approach that promotes skills of resilience, resourcefulness, inquisitiveness, confidence, and allows imagination and collaboration to be at the heart of learning, it leads to positive outcomes for all learners, leaving them better prepared for success in the modern working world. 

Simon is a director appointed by the Chelmsford Diocese whose career has included being a Financial Analyst in the motor industry, Planning Manager for a diversified Trading Company, and latterly as Managing Director of their Zimbabwe operations. He was intimately involved in the original conversion of Kelvedon St Mary’s to Academy Status.   He is currently a Trustee of the Ogilvie Charities and a Director of Kelvedon and Feering Cricket Club.  He runs his own turf management business. 

Mark is an IT professional with over 20 years’ experience. He has led in the areas of management, compliance, budgeting and project delivery.

Catherine is also a local governor at Finchingfield School. She currently works as a children’s writer, so she has a deep interest in children’s literacy and reading for pleasure. Her degree is in Law and Accounting, and she previously spent 15 years working in the financial markets. While in this role, Catherine spent time volunteering in East London schools, helping with financial literacy, public speaking, and mentoring local children. 

We are looking to expand our Board of Directors to 11.  

We are seeking volunteer non-executive directors with the following skills:

Governance and Leadership:

- Experience in governance principles and practices

- Ability to provide strategic direction and monitor performance

- Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements

Education Sector Knowledge:

- Understanding of educational policies and curriculum development

- Knowledge of assessment frameworks and school improvement strategies

Financial Management:

- Proficiency in financial management and budgeting

- Understanding of financial statements and risk management

- Ability to ensure effective use of resources

Legal and Compliance:

- Familiarity with relevant legislation, policies, and procedures

- Knowledge of safeguarding, data protection, and employment laws

Human Resources:

- Expertise in staff recruitment, performance management, and succession planning

- Ability to shape policies related to workforce development and staff well-being

Stakeholder Engagement:

- Strong communication and relationship-building skills

- Experience in public relations, community engagement, and networking

Strategic Planning:

- Ability to think strategically and contribute to long-term planning

- Experience in policy development and performance evaluation

Change Management:

- Understanding of change management principles

- Experience in driving organizational change

Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills:

- Strong analytical abilities and problem-solving skills

- Ability to assess complex issues and make informed decisions

Ethical Awareness and Integrity:

- Demonstrated high ethical standards and integrity in decision-making